Apex Construction Demolition Services
What are the basic steps to demolish a house?
- Find a licensed and insured demolition contractor, such as Apex Construction, to wreck and remove the house. Get proposals or estimates in writing. Be sure the contractor’s estimate spells out who's responsibility it is to pay for and pull permits (if required) for the work.
- Get the house inspected for hazardous materials. If the home contains asbestos or lead paint, proper procedures for remediation need to be followed. Apex Construction can offer this service or we can sub contract it to an environmental specialist for escalated issues.
- Contact electricity, water, sewer and gas suppliers. These utilities need to be disconnected prior to demolition of a house.
- If you have any salvageable materials in the home, work with your contractor to recover recyclable or reusable materials that may be able to be resold or donated. This step should be done before tearing down the house
- Demolish the house. This can take anywhere from a day up to several days. Home demolition generally involves a large, hydraulic excavator tearing down the house putting the unwanted house materials into the back of a truck or dumpster.
- Remove all demolition debris from the site, leaving the site clean. Typically this means removal of everything "down to the dirt", including removal of the house's foundation.
- If you're rebuilding on the same spot, often your demolition contractor can use much of the same heavy equipment to prepare your site for the new house, whether grading or basement excavation is needed. Save some time and money on the new project by working with Apex Construction for your excavation needs on the new home.
How much does it cost to demolish a house?
Generally between $4.00 - $15.00 per sq. ft., but the number varies widely based on the specific needs of your house demolition project. Contact us for more details. The only reliable way to determine the cost of house demolition is to contact a reliable and trusted local demolition company. Requesting your home's demolition cost estimate is as simple as picking up the phone and calling Apex Construction, we are experienced in the nuances of home and commercial demolition.
Do local governments require a permit to demolish a home?
Usually a permit needs to be pulled prior to demolishing a house. The permits necessary depend on your local and state municipalities. Your city or county government may also have rules for house demolition related to notifications, noise, hours of demolition, disposal of the debris, etc... Apex Construction is well informed about local regulations and will pull the permits on your behalf in most cases. We will be sure to clarify up front all the services we will perform, including whether or not we will be pulling and paying for the permits required.
Does my home need to be inspected for asbestos and lead paint prior to being demolished?
Most states require that older homes or buildings be inspected for the presence of asbestos, lead paint, and other hazardous materials prior to being demolished. If your home or building contains hazardous materials that need to be removed, proper procedures for abatement need to be followed. We offer this service or can work with an environmental remediation specialist to complete the removal of hazardous materials.
What is deconstruction and is that an option for the demolition of my home?
Deconstruction is basically the process of manually salvaging as many of the materials inside the home as possible, piece by piece. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, deconstruction projects can achieve recycle or reuse rates of over 70%.
Because everything is done manually, deconstruction takes much longer and costs significantly more than typical demolition methods with heavy machinery. Interior demolition crews individually take doors off, light fixtures, sinks, tubs, copper pipe, glass from windows. Even the nails in the floor boards can be removed and recycled.
Because of the additional labor involved, expect to pay more to deconstruct your home rather than demolish it. Apex Construction has deconstructed many buildings and is well informed on the process, contact us for more details.
How do I know I'm getting a fair price to demolish my home?
While it's important to get more than one estimate to be sure you're getting a fair deal, don't atomically accept the lowest bid. Work with a demolition contractor that offers you the best overall value, which includes a combination of their quoted price and their professional credentials like license, insurance, and references. A lot can go wrong on a house demolition project, so select the contractor that you trust to do the job properly.